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Clients often ask about ways to exercise while at work since that’s where they spend at least a third of their day. In order to get the maximum physical
benefits associated with exercise the Department of Health recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio exercise per week. This can
include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or other high intensity interval workouts that include cardio and resistance training. If you’re not into
exercise this can seem like an unrealistic goal but think about exercise in terms of movement and get into the mindset of keeping your body moving
throughout the day.

Here I’ve illustrated an office-approved workout that provides some cardio as well as strengthening exercises for the entire body. You can do many of these
from your chair so go ahead and place your conference call on speaker and get to moving!

Cardio Get Up/Get Downs

Sit straight up in your chair, move your bottom towards the edge of your seat and raise your arms so straight above you so that you can still see your
arms. Simply stand up from your chair and lower your arms as you stand. Then using your thigh muscles (quads) lower back onto your chair and raise
your arms as you lower. Make sure you keep your chair under you so that you do not sit down and end up on the floor. Practice a few of these and then
do as many as you can for 30 seconds. The faster you go the more cardio work you can get out of it. Rest for 10 seconds and repeat this three times.

Genie Hover

As you are seated in your chair cross your legs like you are sitting cross-legged. Place your hands on the arms of your chair and using your arms and your
core slowly raise your body off of your chair a few inches. Hold for3 seconds then lower yourself back into your chair. Repeat this movement five times.

Tricep Desk Dips

This is a great activity for strengthening your triceps and upper body and you can do it from anywhere. Stand with your back to your desk and place your
palms directly behind you on the desk. Your fingers should be facing straight ahead. Slowly bend your elbows (keeping them by your sides and pulled
in) until your arms are at a 90 degree angle. You can bend your knees to help with this movement or for more of a challenge keep your legs straight
out in front of you with heels only touching the floor. Repeat this for 20 reps. Take a breather for 30 seconds and then repeat again two more times.

Leg Raises

Sitting in your chair, move your body towards the edge of your seat. Raise your right leg straight out in front of you with your foot flexed. Then raise
it a few inches higher (bottom thigh should be lifted off of the chair) and hold for 3 seconds. Lower the leg back down again. Repeat on the right
side 10 times and then perform the same exercise with the left leg. Rest and repeat again two more times.

Core Pull-Ins

Sitting in your chair, move your body towards the edge of your seat. Make sure you are sitting up tall with your back straight. Engage those core stomach
muscles. Place your hands on your desk with elbows bent towards the corner of the room. Slowly inhale (think count to 4) and then exhale. On the exhale
contract your stomach muscles like someone is punching you in the gut. Remember to keep your back straight and pull your shoulders out of your ears.
All of the movement should be coming from your core. Your hands are bracing your core while you exhale so you can really dig into your hands to pull
those muscles in. Repeat this 20 times. Rest and then repeat again two more times.

You can do any combination of these exercises and feel the benefits of muscle strengthening and increasing your heart rate for better cardio health. Also
think about incorporating walking meetings around the office and even walking around the room on your next conference call. Every little bit of movement
helps!

Time is the number one reason many people do not commit to an exercise routine. Add travel into your schedule and it can be extremely difficult to start
or even just maintain an exercise program. Now I’m going to tell you that there is no excuse for not being able to exercise (well unless your doctor
tells you no!) Committing to an exercise program takes a certain mindset. You have to have that certain ‘stickativity’ that will get you out of bed
even when your inner devil may be screaming NO. That’s when you need to remember how good you feel after you work out. I use vision boards and Pinterest
a lot to help me stay motivated. And when I’m snuggled in my bed and my alarm goes off at 5am I roll over and think of how strong and sexy I feel after
my workout. And nothing can replace that feeling so then I jump out of bed and start my day with a workout!

Now for those of you that aren’t quite as motivated (or crazy) as I am when it comes to working out, here are a few moves that will get your endorphins
flowing and have you feeling good in just a few minutes. Plus these moves go with you anywhere and you can do them any time of day or night.

Warm Up

It’s always a good idea to warm up your muscles before you begin your workout. This will get oxygen flowing throughout your body and loosen up any tight
muscles preventing injuries. The following warm up should be repeated 2-3 times.

High Knees: Stand up straight and extend your arms out straight in front of you. Bounce your right leg up so that your right thigh meets your right
hand. Repeat this on the left side. Think of this move as a jumping march. You want to bring your knees up as much as possible while maintaining a
straight back. Repeat for 30 seconds.

Mountain Climbers: Lower yourself to the floor in a push up position. Your arms should be extended straight out with palms under your shoulders.
In this position, bring your right knee into your right elbow. As you straighten your right leg, bring your left knee in to meet your left elbow. Repeat
for 30 seconds.

Now that you're warmed up here are 3 simple moves to give you a quick total-body workout.

Squats

Stand up straight with your feet hip width distance apart. Keeping your back straight bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then
stand up straight again. Be careful not to bend at the waist because you could strain your back muscles. You should immediately ‘feel the burn’ on
the tops of your thighs. Repeat this for 20 repetitions.

Dips

Stand up with your back to a chair (or some other stable object). Place your hands on the chair and walk your feet out until you feel most of your weight
in your arms. Feet should be about a 35 degree angle off the floor. Keeping your back and legs completely straight slowly bend your arms to a 90-degree
angle. Then straight them again. You want to keep your elbows by your rib cage. You should feel the backs of your arms (triceps) start burning. Repeat
this for 20 reps.

Bicycle Crunches

Lay flat on your back with your legs in the air and knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows extended out to
the side. Using your oblique abdominal muscles, twist your torso so that your right elbow meets your left knee. Then twist your torso so that your
left elbow meets your right knee while simultaneously extending your left leg out. Think of your legs actually pedaling a bicycle while your torso
is turning. Once you complete the right and left twists, that is 1 repetition. Repeat this for 20 reps.

If you repeat this simple circuit 3-5 times, you will see (and feel) the benefits. And if you want to add more of cardio into this workout you can repeat
the warm up moves in between each circuit. No more excuses!!